Is there any real way to fix rear toe?

[lemansguy]

Alright, ive had my e30 since november, been donig a lot of routine fixes, adjustments, and driving it daily. Car is great, love it to death, but i need to find a true and real fix for the rear toe. I have been reading abotu toe correction kits for months now, and over the psat two weeks, have been readign daily. I cant find one solid product, or procedure that fixes the toe, without having to jack the car up and tighten bolts every couple of weeks. is there a product that i can instal, and check it once every 6 months, and not every6 days?

here is my take on what is out there, and the info i have gathered.

ive read 100 of pages of reviews, praises, and complaints about the different styles of weld in adjusters. the common theme from them is that they loosen up. some peopel say theirs dont loosen, others say they loosen all the time, then some say the adjusters didnt completely fix their toe issue.

then there are rtabs that are offset to help fix the toe. these get the same complaints, they dont stay tight, they loosen, have to go back in and readjust and retighten.

i just want someone to point me to a permanent solution, or atleast a solution i can check on every now and then, and not at every oil change. I am planning on dropping my rear end soon and replacing all my bushings anyway, so i want to make sure i fix everything properly the first time.

sorry for the crazy long post, just trying to get some good info from those with more knowledge than I.

[LJ851]

Tack weld the adjusters in place if you are worried about them slipping.

[lemansguy]

well i figured i could weld the bolts in place once they are dialed in, but that would not be the ideal situation. if that really is what it comes down to, then so be it. just think its weird that from the factory the bolts dont come loose, but they do in the aftermarket.

[jlevie]

As I recall, I have a thread in the track section that shows how to lock the eccentric weld in adjusters, which could also be able to made for the serrated plate weld in adjusters. With the clamp bolts locked, the adjusters will retain the toe settings.

[lemansguy]

ok cool. ill have to start doing some researching in the track section and see what i can find. thanks!

[mr2peak]

I never had a problem with the settings changing

[jlevie]

I never had a problem with the settings changing

I have, so much so that I found it necessary to reset the rear toe after every track session. I do have weld in eccentric adjusters on the car but have seen the same problem with serrated plate adjusters. The solution is to prevent the bolt from turning as the trailing arm moves. If you do that it never loosens and thus the adjustment can't change.

[lemansguy]

thanks jlevie, im doing some reading today in the track section to read yours and others experiences.

[SkiFree]

With all due respect to Jim. An internet message board should not be considered as viable "research".

I'd suggest contacting different race shops who specialize in E30 racing

[frankenbeemer]

With all due respect to Jim. An internet message board should not be considered as viable "research".

I'd suggest contacting different race shops who specialize in E30 racing

Could you recommend a few who have more experience than jlevie?

[SkiFree]

Could you recommend a few who have more experience than jlevie?

Here's a couple that are equal to or greater than:


Iain Mannix and Kevin Wenzel (both former FSP Nat. Champs)

Anthony Magagnoli (former SpecE30 nat. champ., driving coach).

Per Schroder (Technical Director for Grassroots Motorsports Magazine)

Andy Hately (Formula DRIFT driver)

Seth (owner of Midnight Oil, SoCal Spec E30 race prep)

Patrick (owner of Midnight Motorsports in WA)

Steve Peterson (aka Blunttech)

Jake (owner of ClassicDaily)

Precision Chassis Works (in Gilbert, AR)

JP (owner of A1 Autoworks, race-car prep for the California Spec E30 champ)

Victor Mottier (E30ix Ice racer in Switzerland, race prep)

Advance Auto Fabrication (Pro3 Race Prep in Spokane)

Carlo @ TC Motorsports (well now he's closed shop to focus on driving instruction)

Scott (owner of Long Beach Autohaus - race prep - racer)

Matt Rhose (owner of Ronin Autoworks - race prep - racer)

Ken Blasko (owner of vintagebmwracing - race prep - racer)

Terry Sayther (owner of Terry Sayther Automotive in TX)

Joe Reynolds (2-time FIA Historic Rally Champion)

Steve Kupper (owner kgb-racing, founder of bmw2002faq.com)

Carl Nelson (owner of La Jolla Independent)

Rob Inhout (former NASA engineer, owner Rids Engineering)

Arther Porter (well known within vintage racing circles, E9 CSL restorer)

Jason (owner of Heritage Motorsports)

German Autoworks Atl. (Georgia, Race-prep)